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There are six types of cranberry sauce --

1 - canned jellied

2 - canned whole

3 - fresh berry

4 - orange/cranberry relish

5 - "gourmet" types like cranberry chutney, etc

6 - cranberry jello salad.

Which is the cranberry sauce your family eats with the Thanksgiving turkey or do you have to have more than one? One kind to please cousin Sally and another for Uncle Harry.

I like the cranberry/orange relish but I didn't grow up with that and so I never make it either. We're a fresh cranberry family but FIL was a canned cranberry sauce person and so while he was alive we had both!

So which do you prefer?

Martha

I love cranberries, we visited Cranberry World and I have a cranberry cookbook from OceanSpray.

I've made lots of different types of cranberry sauces for holidays. My favorite is Candied Cranberries or Brandied Cranberries. Another good one is a raw cranberry, pear and orange relish.

Check some recipes from Williams Sonoma recipe archives. They have some savory ones with shallots or carmelized onions, etc. that might suit all your guests.

I make big batches of cranberry something from scratch and give little jars to folks. Many have thanked me for these. Most folks don't do their own cranberries so they can add a homemade item to the table instead of the canned.

Speaking of cranberries....just saw this.

Cranberry Mousse Torte - betty crocker

1 box Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Filling
2 tablespoons water
1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 can (16 oz) jellied cranberry sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 drops red food color, if desired
Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 can (11.5 oz) frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Wrap foil around outside of bottom and side of 10-inch springform pan to catch drips. Spray bottom only of pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat all base ingredients except chocolate chips with spoon 50 strokes; fold in chocolate chips. Spread in pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until base pulls away from side of pan; do not overbake. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons water in 2-quart saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand 1 minute to soften. Spoon cranberry sauce and 1/2 cup sugar over gelatin. Heat to rolling boil over medium-high heat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in orange peel. Cool at room temperature 20 minutes. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until mixture is slightly thickened.
3. In medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cranberry mixture. Fold in food color. Spoon mixture over cooled brownie base. Cover; refrigerate about 2 hours or until set.
4. Meanwhile, in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in cranberry juice concentrate. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Cool 20 minutes at room temperature. Pour sauce into small resealable container. Refrigerate about 1 hour 30 minutes or until chilled.
5. To serve, spoon sauce over each serving of torte.
Makes: 16 servings

And this...

Quick cranberry mousse - Taste of Home

1 c Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail
3 oz pkg raspberry gelatin
14 oz can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
2 c frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a saucepan, bring cranberry juice to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat; add gelatin, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.
Place cranberry sauce in another small bowl, beat for 1 minute. Stir into gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until partially set. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate until firm. Yield: 8 servings.

DH prefers 1 - straight out of the can and I prefer 3 - Basic recipe from the bag.

We've been picking cranberries in the Cape Cod dunes for several years, so I'm always looking for ways to use them. I make the fresh berry sauce, but sometimes have the canned jellied stuff for those who prefer it. I like the jellied on a turkey sandwich also.

I make a cranberry chutney that's good on sandwiches or appetizers, and a killer cranberry walnut tart.

I'm the only one in my family who likes cranberry sauce on turkey, so I usually make a small amount of fresh cranberry and orange compote. Last year, I found cranberry mustard. That was delicious on turkey sandwiches.

I thought they were just for show. No one ever took more than a small spoonful so show they tried it.

As a child, I only wanted the jelled cranberries with Thanksgiving dinner. As an adult, I'm fond of the whole cranberries..in a recipe with other fruit/ just from the can.

We use them in our Chicken wedding dish we created when we got married. My brother raised his eyebrow when he saw it. Tasted them and said, "MMMMMM. This IS good!"

Not just a Thanksgiving dish. : )

We like whole berry sauce, either from fresh or canned. I love cranberry/orange scones, too, or in muffins. I'd agree they're not just for Thanksgiving.

While I adore the home-made kind with oranges and walnuts in it my men (DH and DS) only want the canned jelly kind. I like that too but would prefer the other.

The cooked fresh is great, but I usually buy the canned whole berries. (The jellied is just like the grape jelly compared to grape jam) not as many berries or flavor and no texture?

I absolutely buy extra cans and stock up when it goes on sale. And on any turkey sandwiches, it makes a great bread spread too.

I grew up with the jellied cranberry sauce. Still eat it. I use the cranberries in candle decor.

my preference is #4. Orange and cranberry relish. This keeps a very long time (till Xmas) and I love it.

My favorite is cranberry sauce, using the recipe on the back of the cranberry bag. One of my sisters only will eat jellied cranberries from a can, and so she brings that along to Thanksgiving dinner. I always make a batch of the sauce.